The Unwanted Ones - Book One

Chapter Twelve

As the train draws closer and closer to the town we all get back down and into the carriage and get our things organized. My stomach keeps turning as the train grinds to a stop.

Danny is the first to get out. Gwen follows him, and then Lena, Malcolm. I hop out and Matt follows, and we stand there, looking at each other and wondering what the next move is.

"So how are we going to find them?" Lena asks.

At the moment Danny's jaw drops. We turn to look at what he's looking at and we see him.

The officer from the other town. The one who gave Matt that bruise on his face, who chased us down intent on killing us. He's walking alongside the train, looking into each one, he and some other heavily armed officers.

We scramble back into the carriage.

"What are we going to do?" Lena says. Malcolm is next to her and he looks completely terrified. Matt looks around hastily, and then turns his attention to the other side of the carriage.

"There's got to be another way out of here" he mumbles, almost to himself.

He stands and walks between the crates and boxes. He starts running his hands along the edge of the wall. He seems to find what he's looking for because he turns to us and smile.

"Let's just take the back door," he says, pulling hard. The wall slides, revealing itself to actually be another opening. He steps out and we follow suit.

"That way," he points and we start running. We're in a loading area where the trains come and go, so we're surrounded by train tracks and other trains. We take a right, and not long after we end up in town.

Matt takes out his map and looks at it intently. "The resistance, as far as my aunt knows, was last located in an abandoned subway station. We've gotta go underground."

"Wait," I say suddenly, a thought crossing my mind. The group turns and looks at me.

"How did those officers know we'd be stopping here? The train made three other stops before we got here, and they weren't at any of those. Only this one," I say, my heart hammering in my chest. Somehow they knew where we were going.

Realization dawns on the faces of the others as they digest what I just said. We're suddenly all looking around on high alert. The street corner we're standing on suddenly seems very out in the open, leaving us prone to attack. As if reading my mind Matt starts walking towards a building, an inn. We follow him and rush through the doors.

A lady at the counter looks up from a magazine she's reading and smiles kindly at us. She has a motherly type of look.

"We don't get many visitors around these parts. How many rooms will you all be needing," she asks, picking up a pen.

"Oh we won't be staying, we're just waiting for a friend," Gwen says. The lady shrugs good naturedly and goes back to the magazine she was reading.

"Maybe they just assumed we'd be joining the resistance," Danny says quietly.

"Yeah but how would they know the resistance was here?" Lena asks him.

Before we can continue Matt goes up to the lady and gives her his knee weakening smile.

"Is there another way to get around here?" he asks her, leaning his forearms up on the counter.

"Well honey you can walk. Or run. That's about it. No one around these parts has a car. There's really no need, plus they're too darn expensive. There used to be a subway-" she tells him.

"Really, a subway?" he asks, feigning surprise.

"Yep, a long while back. Underground, but it's been abandoned for a long time. Over near the big ole church, there's an alley leading to it. But that won't be any help to you dear, sorry." she answers, smiling apologetically. He nods and thanks her.